1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a paper punch apparatus capable of securely and steadily punching a paper-binding hole(s) into one or more paper sheets between a bit reception plate and a tubular hole punch bit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various types of paper punch apparatuses that are capable of punching binding holes into, for example, one or more paper sheets by sandwiching the document paper sheets between a resin-discoidal bit reception plate and a hole punch bit formed in a metallic-tubular shape. As paper punch apparatuses of this type, high power paper punch apparatuses have been proposed.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-109098 (hereafter referred to as “Patent Reference 1”) discloses a high power paper punch apparatus in which an elevating unit is supported on a base unit to be vertically movable via an operating handle, and a hole punch bit is fixed and supported immobilizably on the elevating unit. In a paper-stacking base fixedly mounted immobilizably on the base unit, an insertion concave portion is formed. A bit reception plate is inserted and supported rotatably in the insertion concave portion in a deflected state with respect to the vertical line of the hole punch bit. A bit tip portion of the hole punch bit has a positional relationship with the bit reception plate to perform approaching/detaching operation with respect to the bit reception plate.
Ratchet teeth are formed around a periphery of the bit reception plate. When the elevating unit descends with the operation of the operating handle, operation pawls engaging the ratchet teeth advance in the direction opposite the rotational direction of the ratchet teeth via an interlocking mechanism connectively operating with the operating handle. In contrast, when the elevating unit ascends with the operation of the operating handle, the operation pawls engage the ratchet teeth via the interlocking mechanism whereby to cause the bit reception plate to rotate by one pitch.
In the paper punch apparatus, a contact position between the bit reception plate and the hole punch bit can be changed each time the operating handle is manipulated. As such, the construction prevents such an event that the hole punch bit constantly abuts a same portion whereby causing a ringular extracting groove on the bit reception plate. The consequence enables overcoming such shortcomings that when punching paper holes into a plurality of paper sheets, the lowest paper sheet engages the ringular extracting groove caused by a bit tip portion of the hole punch bit whereby making it impossible to take out the lowest paper sheet.
By way of another example paper punch apparatus, a paper punch apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-233398 (hereafter referred to as “Patent Reference 2”) will be discussed. The apparatus is constructed such that an elevating unit is supported on a base to be vertically movable by using an operating handle, and a hole punch bit is insertable and detachable with respect to the elevating unit. In the paper punch apparatus disclosed in the publication, an insertion/detachment opening is formed in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the elevational direction in a lower portion of the elevating unit, and a hole-punch-bit support unit for fittably supporting the hole punch bit is inserted and supported in the insertion/detachment opening to be insertable and detachable.
The hole-punch-bit support unit has an engagement/disengagement member resiliently vertically moving toward an inner upper surface of the insertion/detachment opening. The engagement/disengagement member has an engagement/disengagement detent for performing engagement/disengagement with respect to an engagement/disengagement concave portion formed on an inner upper surface of the insertion/detachment opening, and manipulation piece extending on a side opposite the engagement/disengagement detent. When the engagement/disengagement member is engageably inserted into the insertion/detachment opening in resistance with spring forces, the engagement/disengagement member resiliently returns upwardly at an engageable insertion limit position of the hole-punch-bit support unit. Then, push-up force of the engagement/disengagement detent is received in the engagement/disengagement concave portion, whereby the engagement/disengagement concave portion and the engagement/disengagement detent are engaged with each other.
By way of another example paper punch apparatus, a paper punch apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-190794 (hereafter referred to as “Patent Reference 3”) will be discussed. The paper punch apparatus is capable of preventing fall of paper perforation scraps being discharged from the inside of an upper-side cylinder of a tubular hole punch bit approachable and detachable with respect to a bit reception plate disposed on a paper stacking base. The paper punch apparatus disclosed in the publication is constructed such that an elevating unit is supported on a base unit to be vertically movable with an operating handle, a scrap collection receptacle is attachably and removably tightened and fixed to the elevating unit, and a proximal end portion of the hole punch bit is attachably and removably tightened and fixed to a bottom portion of the scrap collection receptacle. A proximal-end-side opening of the hole punch bit communicates with the inside of the scrap collection receptacle.
In the paper punch apparatus disclosed in Patent Reference 1, the bit reception plate formed into a discoidal shape disposed away downwardly from the operating handle is inserted and supported in an automatically rotatable fashion inside the insertion concave portion of the paper-stacking base. In addition, the hole punch bit fixedly supported in immobile manner on the elevating unit is disposed in a relatively movable fashion with respect to the bit reception plate. As such, structurally, an intricate interlocking mechanism should be provided that causes connective operation of the operating handle and the bit reception plate to automatically rotate at a predetermined angle in association with rotational movement.
For the provision of the interlocking mechanism causing the connective operation of the operating handle and bit reception plate, high level relative-position setting, positioning, and the like should be adjusted for the operating handle, bit reception plate, interlocking mechanism, and the like. When required accuracies of setting dimensions, assembly adjustment, and the like cannot be obtained, it is impossible to bring an actuating force to act on the bit reception plate away from the operating handle. As a result, it becomes difficult to operate the operating handle, the bit reception plate, or the interlocking mechanism in a synchronous, smooth, and steady manner. In addition, the intricate interlocking mechanism for causing the connective operation of the operating handle and bit reception plate is required to be provided. This arises a problem in that the number of components is increased, leading to the cause of associated problems of significantly increasing, for example, assembly costs and manufacturing costs.
The conventional paper punch apparatus disclosed in Patent Reference 2 is now viewed. As described above, in this apparatus, the engagement/disengagement detent of the engagement/disengagement member resiliently vertically moving toward the inner upper surface of the insertion/detachment opening is engaged with the engagement/disengagement concave portion formed on the inner upper surface of the insertion/detachment opening. As such, an engagement surface of the engagement/disengagement detent and an engagement surface of the engagement/disengagement concave portion are therefore positioned perpendicular to the insertion direction of the hole-punch-bit support unit. As such is the structure, when releasing the engagement state between the elevating unit and the hole-punch-bit support unit, while the engagement surface is being moved down by a distance necessary to climb over the top end of the engagement/disengagement detect in resistance with the elastic force, an excessively high force necessary to cause the engagement surface of the engagement/disengagement concave portion to directly act on the manipulation piece, which extends to the opposite side of the engagement/disengagement detent.
At this event, of course the force acting on the manipulation piece to release the engagement with the engagement surface of the engagement/disengagement concave portion should be maintained. Concurrently, however, the hole-punch-bit support unit should be withdrawn along a withdrawal direction perpendicular to depression force of the manipulation piece. That is, when withdrawing the hole-punch-bit support unit, the unit should perform stepwise operations bidirectionally along the depression direction of the manipulation piece and the withdrawal direction thereof perpendicular to the withdrawal direction. This significantly impairs the mountability and operability of the hole-punch-bit support unit.
Further, the withdrawal of the hole-punch-bit support unit with respect to the elevating unit requires considerably high force. Thereby, not only the mountability and operability of the hole-punch-bit support unit are deteriorated, but also drawbacks such as entanglements, damage, and deflection are promoted. Regarding the discoidal bit reception plate, it is ordinarily inserted and supported in the insertion concave portion of the paper-stacking base, as in the conventional techniques disclosed in Patent Reference 1. As such, the bit reception plate cannot therefore easily be removed to the outside from the inside of the insertion concave portion with hands and fingers in such an event of replacing the bit reception plate. Here arises another problem of making the removal operation thereof to be complex, making it impossible to quickly perform punch operation.
In general, conventional paper punch apparatuses form punch holes in such a manner that in association with the pivotal operation of the operating handle, a top-end bit tip portion(s) of the tubular hole punch bit(s) is pushed at one time to a number of paper sheets (paper set) placed on the paper stacking base. As described above, in the conventional paper punch apparatus disclosed in Patent Reference 3, the proximal end portion of the hole punch bit is attachably and removably tightened and fixed to the bottom portion of the scrap collection receptacle fixed to the elevating unit. As such is the structure, sufficient high post-mounting strengths of these components should be secured, thereby significantly increasing the number of components. This arises the problems of significantly increasing costs such as assembly costs, manufacturing costs, and component costs in association with the increase in the number of components.
In addition, the proximal-end-side opening of the hole punch bit communicates with the inside of the scrap collection receptacle through the bottom of the scrap collection receptacle. As such, paper perforation scraps discharged from the inside of the upper-side cylinder of the hole punch bit can be directly stored into the scrap collection receptacle. However, as a large amount of paper perforation scraps are stored in the scrap collection receptacle, paper perforation scraps are nonuniformly piled in peripheral portions of the tubular hole punch bit.
For the above reason, paper perforation scraps block an upper-end-side opening before filling the inside of the scrap collection receptacle, whereby causing punched paper scraps to jam. Consequently, not only does such the troublesome event disable effectively using the inside of the scrap collection receptacle, but also it can easily lead to deflection, damage, and the like of the hole punch bit due to jammed paper perforation scraps, whereby leading to the cause of significantly impairing the functionality of the hole punch bit.
Further, as in the prior art disclosed in Patent Reference 1, a paper abutment member is fixed and supported in an erect state perpendicular to extending end portions of a pair of side gauge racks disposed extendible in both-side end portions of the base unit. In this construction, hole-punching operation can be performed by positioning the paper center. However, punch holes cannot be formed in such a manner that, regardless of the paper size, same punch positions are chosen in accordance with the paper upper or lower ends being used as a reference. As such, it is difficult to bind papers into files by arranging the papers in desired arrangement patterns.
Thus, the individual prior arts disclosed in Patent References 1 to 3 have various problems. They are, for example, problems of impairing the mountabilities and operabilities of the components such as the hole punch bit and bit reception plate; problems of causing the functionality of the tubular hole punch bit to be impaired due to paper perforation scraps accumulated in the scrap collection receptacle; and problems of disabling accurate setting of same punch positions in the upper or lower ends of paper sheets of different sizes.
Accordingly, what is strongly demanded is that while the structure is simple, improvements can be implemented for punching function, handling function of the hole punch bit and bit reception plate, the punched-paper-scrap discharge function and the punch-position adjustment function, for example. If the demand is satisfied, quality improvement and cost reduction for the paper punch apparatus can be implemented.